


The Beginning

by LisaTheDork



Series: Destiny Reforged (A TrollHunters AU) [1]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Give Jim A Dog AU, TrollHunter dog, trollhunters au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 19:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18058328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LisaTheDork/pseuds/LisaTheDork
Summary: Jim and Lacey'sfatedmeeting.





	The Beginning

Jack sighs as he looks through the cages lining the walls. This was the fifth shelter he’s been to and still, nothing. No feelings of familiarity, no call deep in his chest, not a  _ damn thing  _ to indicate what he’s looking for is here.

 

With a deep breath, he wanders from the cat wing of the shelter to the dog wing.

 

With James gone, he doesn’t know what to do. He can’t let his brother’s family be left so  _ unguarded _ , but he was incapable of staying with them himself. This was his last hope and he prayed to whatever gods still existed in this godless age that he could find them.

 

He slowly looks in each kennel, waiting for a moment as he stops at each barred door in hopes of that feeling to spark. The inexplicable tugging he had in his chest when he and James had found Sparks all those years ago. Or when he’d found Chipper more recently.  _ Something!  _ Jim’s had to be here  _ somewhere! _

 

He kneels down in front of the kennel where a mother lays with her pups. They’re tiny, toddling their way around the blanketed floor and squeaking with high pitched voices. It’s then that he feels it. That call, that tugging at his heart and soul that told him everything he’d been hoping for. The answer to his prayers.

 

A tiny, howling, gold and white pup laying on their back beside their mother’s chest. They open their eyes and look at him, quieting as they roll over onto their stomach. The eyes, bright blue and so full of life and vibrance… yes, he’s found them!

 

“Excuse me?” He waves down one of the people wearing the shelter’s uniforms. They quickly approach and ask how they can help him. “Are these puppies ready to be adopted?”

 

“They are weaned if that’s what you mean, though they won’t really be ready to be adopted for another week or so to be safe-”

 

“May I put a request for one of them to be delivered when they’re ready?”

 

“Delivered?” They ask him with a confused frown.

 

“My nephew.” Jack explains. “He lives here in Arcadia but I’m only here for a business trip and I won’t be able to stay for his birthday. I’d like to have one of these pups delivered to him on that day.”

 

“Oh, uh, you’d have to talk to our manager about that, but we can at least keep one on the adopted list for you. Is there a certain one you’re looking at?”

 

Jack smiles and turns back to the kennel. “This one.” He reaches his fingers through the bar, the blue eyed pup now sniffing him curiously. “This is the one.” He mutters softly, curling his fingers slightly to cup the wiggly puppy’s head. She stares up at him with those eyes, those beautiful, glowing and familiar blue eyes.

 

\---___---

 

As he ties the sparkling lace ribbon around the collar on the pup’s neck, Jack feels something he had feared he’d never feel again. The sparkles fade from around the ribbon into the pup’s fur, her eyes glowing ethereally bright for a moment before fading back to their normal crisp blues.

 

His brother’s family is going to be alright. He’s done everything he can for them and he’s sure, oh so daringly sure, that this pup will be everything his dear nephew will ever need.

\---___---

 

Barbara isn’t sure how to feel.

 

First off, the fact that Jack would even attempt to pretend to be James just to send Jim a present was so out of place for the man she thought she knew, she’d almost say the whole thing was some sick joke!

 

Secondly, what the actual  _ fuck _ was he  _ thinking?! _

 

She looks at the kennel sitting on the floor in front of her with a frown. The puppy inside stares at her, unnervingly quiet for an animal as young as this one. Barbara rereads the letter again.

 

There’s another letter attached to the kennel addressed to Jim and, in the letter for her, Jake explains it’s going to tell her boy that his _ father, _ of all people, had sent him this gift. She’s not sure if she’s furious at him for giving Jim false hope that his father even  _ cares  _ what happens to them anymore or if she’s worried that he was so sure that James wouldn’t do anything that he went through the trouble of pretending to be his brother.

 

She takes a deep breath and slides off the couch to kneel in front of the kennel. The puppy waddles closer to the door with paws too big and floppy ears to watch her open the cage. Barbara gently picks the gold and white furred puppy in one hand and the letter to Jim in the other.

 

Barbara stands and walks upstairs, gingerly knocking on her son’s bedroom door.

 

“Jim, hun? Are you up?” She hears a sniffling silence itself and covers rustle. With a sigh, she slowly opens the door to stick her head in.

 

Jim’s eyes are still damp as he sits in bed, trying to wipe his face with the blanket like she wouldn’t notice. He sniffs and looks up at her.

 

“Uh, hi mom.” He squeaks, trying very hard to smile at her through his sadness. It breaks her heart that he’s already trying to “be strong” for her like people keep saying, but she doesn’t want that. She smiles back at him softly.

 

“I’ve got a surprise for you.” She nudges the door open with her foot and walks over, keeping the puppy hidden behind her back as she presents her son with the letter from “dad”.

 

It pains her how excited he suddenly seems, tearing the letter open and reading it excitedly.

 

“Dad sent me a present?!” He asks, looking up at her with those bright blue eyes filled with such excitement that she physically feels ill. She prays her precious boy will never find out just how terrible his father turned out to be.

 

“Close your eyes.” She says, forcing a cheerful smile as she puts a hand on his. He nods excitedly and covers his eyes with both hands, giggling excitedly. She sets the pup down on the bed between Jim’s feet and takes a deep breath. “Alright hun… open up!”

 

He moves his hands from his face and gasps loudly, eyes sparkling in awe. “It-it’s a puppy!” He giggles excitedly and reaches out, the pup already wiggling so hard it almost falls over as it waddles over. He picks it up carefully with both hands and cuddles it close to his face.

 

“I love her!” He squeaks happily, laughing as the puppy starts licking his face. “Mom! Looks! She loves me too!”

 

Barbara can’t help the laugh that slips out of her at her son’s excitement as he snuggles the yipping dog.

 

“Well, a dog’s a big responsibility hun. You sure you can handle it?” Of course he can. He’s already taking care of himself for the most part nowadays, with her always taking shifts at the local clinic and taking classes at the local nurse’s college, he has to do a lot on his own.

 

She hates that she can’t do more, but she always reminds herself that this will be good in the end. She’ll be able to support them fully and then she can focus on raising her boy.

 

“I can do it! Please let me keep her mom!” He pleads, hugging the pup against his chest with big, puppy eyes. The dog whines and, to her surprise, mimics Jim’s puppy eyes almost perfectly. “Please moooom!”

 

She laughs again and smiles. “She is your birthday present hun. Of course you can keep her.” He cheers excitedly and holds the dog above his head, which wiggles and yips happily.

 

“We’re gonna be best friends Lacey! I gotta show you to Tobes!”

 

“Lacey?” Barbara smiles as Jim look back at her with a broad smile, setting the pup down to point at the lace ribbon attached to her collar.

 

“Yeah! Cause she’s got this little ribbon! Isn’t it cute?” She nods as he beams proudly.

 

“Alright well, why don’t we go have breakfast and then we’ll go to the pet store and get Lacey some toys?”

 

“Yeah!” Jim’s expression sparkles as Lacey yips, bouncing up to lick Jim’s chin.


End file.
